Twisted Ways: They May Not Be Who You Think
by Ashlex in pearl
Summary: A series of one-shots that show opposite personalities of each person in the Harvest moon series. At least, all the ones I know. Come see if you thought you knew the people you know... Ideas are welcomed! R&R!
1. The Artist: Angelo

Zephyr town, the town where the people depend on their windmills to survive, is greeted by a near constant breeze all the time. The people there are at ease, and enjoy the frequent bazaars that provide healthy competition amongst the others and those who come in from the city. And inversely, the people who come from the city enjoy browsing the bazaar and purchasing goods from the good people. But, something happened in this small town that caused the bazaar to close down for good. Many things could have happened.

But here is one.

In the town, there lives an artist, one who spends most of his time either in his home or out by the waterfall, drawing or whatever. He doesn't have many friends in town, and the people don't often visit him. The boy wasn't very social, this was true. Some people wondered if he wasn't an outcast, or trying to hide something. Until…

One Friday, as the rest of the town was preparing for the bazaar, the boy stayed at home, no interest in the bazaars anymore, no interest in the people. And the last visit from the mayor may have pushed him over the edge. He recalls as he works on his sculpture, all the color gone from his face…

…

The mayor had come over to talk to the boy about the bazaar, and how they were so close to being the top.

"You know our goal, don't you?" the mayor asked the boy.

The boy, timid as he was, nodded and uttered a nervous, "Y-Yes, of course I know that."

The mayor shook his head, "Then you also know that your shop will never get that much if you keep charging so cheap!" the boy could tell he was trying not to yell. Still, the boy flinched. The mayor sighed, "Raise your prices, or we'll have to take drastic measures." he warned, "The rest of the town is starting to wonder about you."

The boy looked down, "I-I'm sorry…" he said. He looked to the statue he had been building for the very man who was standing in front of him. The statue was covered with a sheet. It was meant to be a surprise.

"You don't have enough merchandise, either." The mayor added. He walked over to the covered statue, "What is it your working on? Maybe you could sell it for a good price.." he said, thoughtfully, reaching up for the sheet.

The boy started to panic. No! He was going to ruin the surprise! He quickly tackled the mayor to the ground, "Don't do that!" he yelled as he did.

The mayor screamed and quickly jumped up once he hit the ground. He shook his head at the boy on the ground, "You act so strange." he said. He shook his head again as he walked out the door.

The boy, his eyes quaking with hurt at the words of the man he admire, just laid on the floor, staring at the ground. He hid his eyes as he stood slowly. He took his hat off and threw it to the ground, "I'll show you." he muttered. He turned and looked up at the statue, tearing the sheet off of it, "I'll show you all." He grabbed his carving knife and slashed at the statue

…

The boy finished what he was carving and let the knife clatter to the floor. He turned away from his work and walked into the kitchen. He had been sculpting right into the night, and morning was just hours away. Everyone would be waking up, excited for the mornings bazaar. Spring was the nicest time to have a bazaar. But the boy was finished trying to sell people his work. They never appreciated it like he did. He looked over at the window, his reflection staring blankly back at him. Out of the corner of his eye, just behind the boy staring at him, he saw the statue.

What used to be a muscle-bound man, was now barely a man at all. The arms had been cut off and carved to look as if the skin had been decaying away. The face even looked as if something had been eating the skin away. And, on the chest, a heart was carved, a big slash through it. As if to show the man depicted had no heart. The smile on the mans face, was now a frown, there was even a tear drop underneath the eye. As if the man regrets his decision. It is said that an artists work reflects the artist.

The boy looked back at his own face, the pain, hurt, and anger building up. Oh yes, he may regret his decision, but he was going to do it anyway. He grabbed the carving knife off the counter and headed for the front door. He glanced back at the statue, a playful smile on his face.

"I'll be back." he almost sang as he closed the door behind him.


	2. The Priest: Carter

Now we head to Mineral Town, home to a wide variety of people. From the ones who make you tools to farm with, to the ones who keep you warm when your just visiting, the town is filled with many friendly faces. Everyone knows each others secrets and everyone grew up together. Its very rare that someone new moves in or visits.

For each new visitor that comes, the young priest cleanses them of whatever sin they may have or confess to. Usually it was the same.

"I littered in the road…"

"I was rude to someone…"

"I didn't say goodbye before I left…"

The priest would just give his gentle smile and say the same thing every time, to comfort those lost souls, "The harvest Goddess is in a forgiving mood and has decided to overlook your mistake. May you be blessed." Leaving every single one of them happy and glad to be forgiven. They would be back for the services, seeking guidance from the harvest goddess, through the messenger himself.

The priest spent his time reading over sad stories that had been passed down in the town from elders to young kids and passed around when people would talk. The stories made everyone feel thankful for what they had and feel sad for the families of which the stories are about. But, the priest would just write it off and tell them they are all truly blessed.

It might be more believable if he truly believed what he preached. It was true, the priest didn't, for a second, believe in any sort of higher being. The only reason he became a priest was because he thought it could cleanse him of any wrong-doings he had done. Before he didn't believe, he went to school, training to a minister with a school full of other boys. But, when he was finally told he had been forgiven and was sent to do god's work, he didn't feel any different. He spent his nights in the church, trying to make sense of it all.

Until one night, he finally grasped the reality he had been trying to deny.

He looked up from the alter, up at the picture of the harvest goddess. He hadn't been in Mineral Town too long, but he already knew he was wronged. He shook his head, his tone emotionless, "Its all a lie. There is no god, the harvest goddess is nothing more than wishful thinking based upon a woman who died here."

He almost couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. But, somehow, he felt right at that moment. He smiled, grinned, at his knew found world. As he turned and stood, facing the empty church, he knew what he had to do. Even though it went against all he was taught, he was going to try and tell people all that he believes. He gave a smirk as he started down the aisle. Yes, he decided he would hint in all his preachings, never say right out that there is a god or goddess, never saying anything more than "May the goddess bless you." It was far fetched, but he had no other choice. Besides, religious believers always gave generously to the church.

The young priest smirked back at the church as he reached the door. The doors were opened a little, the darkness from the street, and the priests soul, starting to seep in. By day, well mannered and polite, friendly priest. By night, a whole different person. But, he couldn't tell anyone.

"Come on," he said to no one, closing his eyes as he turned towards the door, "They wouldn't believe it anyway. An atheist priest is just an oxymoron. But they exist. In them, and in me."

He just laughed as he closed the door, not only on the church, but on every religious belief he was raised to believe. Opening him to the greed and lust that human kid was forced to succumb to.


	3. The Hippie and The Farm Boy:Gustafa&Jack

Forget-Me-Not Valley, where the little town of people live and are happy amongst the others. Everyone knew everyone else, thus the name makes sense. From the little farm on the outskirts of town to the mansion on top of the hill, the people were content with their little lives.

One man, however, was not satisfied.

In the small valley, there lived a man in a tent at the top of a hill. He would play his guitar for people, searching for someone to listen. But, his songs were not always happy and peppy for the upcoming spring. Sometimes… they were a bit off.

"The end, the end is here! Call the cops call the FBI, their here!" he would sing.

The man would spend his nights staring up into the sky, seeming to wait for something. No one really knew what he was waiting for. He would yell up at the sky, begging whoever to stay away. The dances he did on the beach made everyone not look at him twice. They just walked on by.

"Here they come! Take me away!" he would shout.

…

One night, as he was jumping around and chanting, he stopped and just stared at the sky. He realize what he hadn't before, something that needed to be told to everyone to save them.

"Their already here." he whispered.

He ran up the street in the middle of the night and just started yelling, "Their here! They've already descended upon us! We are doomed! Doomed to a life of ridicule with no hope for salvation!"

Since that night, he has been seen as not only crazy, but paranoid. After that, he sat at the foot of his hill, tin foil wrapped around his head, strumming his guitar. The songs he sang, though not always coherent, sang of visitors looking exactly like them in every way. Visitors who would change their ways of life and possibly ruin everyone's laid out plans.

…

Then the day came, when the man was playing his guitar, he suddenly stopped. Perhaps sensing something off. He looked up the road and over the bridge. The old farm man was coming back from the city. Not a big deal, he did that everyday. But… there was a boy following behind him. As the older man spoke the him, the boy did not say much. He simply nodded or shook his head.

"Oh no! Everyone run and hide! Oh god!" The man yelled as he stood up with his guitar and ran to the top of the hill again. The boy, noticing the ruckus, just looked at the man, confusion crossing his face.

Of course, the boy didn't have to worry about him for long. By the next spring, the doctor he called came into town to check the man out. The boy stood by as the doctor headed up the hill.

"Come on out," the doctor called, "I need to talk to you."

"Evil!" the man yelled. He jumped out of his tent and rolled down the hill. He laid at the bottom, disoriented.

"I just need you to come with me." the doctor said, reaching the man at the bottom of the hill. He picked hi up and held him by his arms behind him.

"You can't do this to me!" The man yelled, "I have to tell the people of the dangers of this evil menace!"

The doctor looked at the boy, but the farm boy just shrugged.

"Come on," the doctor said calmly, "I'm going to take you somewhere where there are others like you."

"No! I don't want to go anywhere!" the man said, "These people need my help!"

But there was nothing he could do. He just followed with the doctor and went along to the place with the other people. He looked over his shoulder, back at the young farm boy. Maybe he was wrong…

The farm boy had one hand on his face with a victory smirk going from ear to ear. He knew he had won.

The man jumped, "Oh my god!" he exclaimed, but the doctor shoved him foreword.

Or maybe, he was right.


	4. The Spy: Celia

**A/N- Whoa, haven't done one of these in a while. This is one I am proud of. I don't know why, but I think Vesta gives her crops some sort of growing horomone that is clearly illegal in these places. Oh well. Enjoy!**

* * *

Forget-me-not valley is also home to Vesta's farm, a quaint little farm that grows many of the products that are shipped out and sold in many of the other towns, as well as the city. No on grows them quite like Vesta does, and many of the people in the valley want to know why. What makes her crops so unique? Could it be all the care that she, Marlin, and their little ward give it everyday? Or is their another secret?

While Vesta and Marlin are out, either in town or the city or the field, the girl wanders the greenhouses, making it seem like she's doing something for the plants. As she walked down each row, she gently touched the leaves on the plants, as it waiting for one of them to bite her finger of or something. She started to feel frustrated with her lack of findings. She stopped in the middle of the hothouse and took her bandana off her head.

"What could it be...?" she wondered. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. What was it? She turned to a plant and picked up some of its topsoil. Could that be it? No, it seemed like it was just normal soil. Something else...

She heard something at the door and quickly grabbed her bandana, dropping the soil, and hid behind a pile of manure bags. She peeked through the bag, seeing Vesta and a man walking up the row towards her. As they drew closer, she could make out what they were saying.

"You need a hundred more?" the man asked, seeming very shocked by what Vesta asked.

Vesta nodded and stopped, looking down at the plants, "Yes! Look at this crap! It doesn't even help the plants grow anymore! I need the best you've got! And I need a hundred more."

The man looked taken aback. He surveyed Vesta for a moment, wondering if she was serious or just mad. The girl looked at Vesta and saw she was, in fact, serious. She quickly took out her notepad and wrote down everything she was hearing.

The man shook his head "A-Alright... we can get you a hundred... I can see by the size of your farm that that is probably best. But... how do you intend to pay for so much?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Vesta.

Vesta smirked, the big woman looking bigger as she spoke "The basement of the shop is where I keep... everything you probably will need. I'm sure there is enough there to satisfy our deal in the big safe."

The man smiled and nodded, as they began to walk back out, "Very well, show me the way."

The girl couldn't write fast enough as she jotted down her notes, "This is gold." she whispered to herself. Once she heard the door shut again, she stood and smirked, putting her notebook away again, "And I have a feeling that by the end of the night, I'll be swimming in it." she said. She brushed herself off and headed for the door, a plan in her devious mind.

* * *

The girl grabbed everything she needed from her room, stuffed into her trusty old backpack that she had first arrived in. As she stood, looking around the room, she realized she may never see the room again. She took a minute to take in her surroundings. The dresser that held all her clothes and her diary was falling apart, one drawer laying against it instead of in it. The bed frame had been fixed so many times that even the tape was starting to peel, along with the paint on the old forgotten walls. The only thing new in the room was the picture of Vesta, Marlin, and herself that the girl had taken. The frame sat on the old desk, right above a crack that she had noted as "always been there."

The girl scoffed and turned to the stairs. If she never saw that room again, it would be too soon. She definitely wouldn't miss being treated like a slave. From her bag she pulled a pistol. With a smirk, she cocked it and headed down the stairs. She knew Vesta would be in the secret room with the man right at that moment. Leaving Marlin all alone.

Marlin sat at the little table in the kitchen, reading a book and pushing his greasy black hair back out of his face. The girl would take great pleasure in this. She held the pistol to his head.

"Whats the combo for the safe, Marlin?" she asked in a sweet voice. Marlin looked at her, saw the pistol, and looked terrified. He screamed out loud...

* * *

Vesta stood outside with the man from earlier in the day. She was watching him leave with whatever money she had given him, before heading back into the shop. The girl stood in the shadow of the house. The moon overhead provided the little light she needed to see Vesta's successful expression.

The girl headed into the shop and quickly found the stairs. With a victorious smirk, she headed down them. This was so much easier than I expected, she thought. She followed the stairs down into the dark until she came to a lightly lit room. She could see Vesta standing in front of a big metal door. She took the pistol out and held it pointed at Vesta "Don't move." she said.

Vesta stood up straight. She didn't seem surprised or tensed. And as she turned, the girl could see why. Vesta held a huge shotgun up and pointed it straight at her, "No, no, Celia. _You_ don't move."

The girl looked surprised and dropped her pistol. It clattered to the ground as she fell to her knees, "Please... have mercy!" she exclaimed.

Vesta shook her head, "You already had your chance." She said. She cocked the shotgun and the girl closed her eyes.

* * *

Earlier that day...

The girl stood up at the Harvest Goddess lake, a place of solitude where not too many people came. She held a phone to her ear and spoke with a sense of triumph.

"It's under the store." she said to the person on the other line, "That's where Vesta keeps whatever it is that makes her successful."

"Very good," the man on the other line said, sounding just as sure of himself, "You have done well. When can we expect you back?"

The girl smirked, "I'll get the goods and be back before tomorrow morning."

"Good. Make sure you aren't caught."

"They trust me." the girl reassured, "They won't have any reason to doubt."

After a few seconds, she closed the phone and put it back into her pocket. She looked around to see if anyone had over heard, before walking off to head back to the farm. She looked ahead again and jumped when she saw a little man standing before her.

"Whoa! Oh.. Murray.. You scared me." she said with her friendly smile.

The little man looked like a caveman, no clothes but a loincloth, and hair that covered almost his entire head. Except for his two little beady eyes that seemed to be calculating the girl as she stood before him. The girl just stared back at him.

"I'm so hungry..." the little man said.

The girl tilted her head, "I'm sorry... I don't have any food. I was just headed to the market for us. See you later." she said, waving to him as she passed by. Once her back was turned, she scowled "Disgusting." she whispered to herself.

The little man tilted his head and watched her walk away. He looked down at his hand, then held up a tape recorder, giving a wide toothy smirk, "Oh... got you." he said. He turned himself and headed back towards Vesta's farm.


	5. The Apprentice: Owen

**A/N****- I seem to only write ones that are close to my heart. Owen, here, is my favorite bachelor from Tree of Tranquility. And... I've always kinda wondered what it was he did while he was in the mines. All day. Every day. Allow me to shed some light. Kekeke...**

* * *

In this great wide world, there are many places that depend on a farm or a ranch for most of their income. The produce grown on the farms and the animals raised on the ranches bring the right kind of money to these towns. One such town, on an island whose name is tastier than the actual island, has both. Waffle Island has as equally interesting of characters as anywhere else.

One of the towns income comes from the Ganache Mine, where the blacksmith Ramesy and his young grandson and apprentice work, mining many different materials used by everyone. The apprentice came to the island when his parents died, looking for a new start and a new beginning. He is one of the friendliest spirits on the island and everyone knows him well. They know that, even if he is the most popular face, he spends most of his time deep in the mines, from early morning to late at night. People wonder why he goes in there all day, but most just assume he is very dedicated to his job.

But, the other reason they wonder is because rumor has it that the mines are haunted.

A few of the kids were going to go into the mines to find some minerals for their parents so they can sll them and get some more money for their family. But, the kids claim that, before they could even down to the second level of the mine, they heard a sort of psychotic laughter from within and yelling. They got frightened quickly and ran out as fast as they could. The blacksmith, Ramsey, saw them and called out to them.

"Something wrong, kids?" he yelled, stepping outside.

"Monster!" one of them yelled.

"There's a monster in the mines!"

Ramsey raised an eyebrow and watched them as they ran off. _Monster? _He thought, _Maybe Owen will have seen something._ He turned back into the shop and called out, "Owen?"

There was silence for a moment. Ramsey shrugged and looked around, "Owen?" he called again.

"He's still in the mine!" he heard his other grandchild, Chloe call back.

Ramsey nodded once, "Huh. I'll ask him when he gets back." and with that, he went back to his work.

…

Hours later, while the moon was still high in the sky, the door to the shop opened again, very carefully and quietly. A tall muscular man made his way into the shop. He didn't bother with the lights, not wanting to wake anyone. As he moved slowly through the dark house, he mumbled to himself. Sometimes unintelligible, other times it was:

"Can't be helped... Boss will be mad... Losing my mind... Potatoes..."

He moved past the other beds as quietly as he could, but one person stirred, "Owen?" came Ramsey's voice.

The man froze and just stood still. He didn't move as Ramsey fumbled around in the dark. When he suddenly turned the light on, Ramsey looked a bit confused, "You came in a little late, don't you think?"

The apprentice turned and rubbed his head, an apologetic smile on his face, "Sorry about waking you. I went down in the mine a lot further than I've been before. It took me a while to get back to the surface." he explained.

Ramsey smiled and shook his head "Don't worry about it. Did you find anything down there?"

The apprentice shrugged, " Just the usual amount of wonderfuls. I left them outside."

"Nothing else?" he hinted.

The apprentice looked confused. He shook his head, "what do you mean? There's nothing else down there."

Ramsey shook his head and turned back to his bed, "The children must be hearing things."

The apprentice seemed concerned now, "Hearing things? In the mine?"

Ramsey nodded and looked back at him, "They said they heard a monster." he gave a hearty laugh, "silly, isn't it?"

The apprentice gave a laugh and nodded, "Yeah, crazy." he said. With that, the lights went out again and the two went to bed. One, however, was up all night, thoughts racing.

The apprentice stared at the ceiling through the dark as the crickets chirped outside his window. _How could they have heard?,_ he thought, _that must be why he sounded so worried... He knew they were there... that's why he gave me the potato... This can't be... He'll kill me for sure..._

The apprentice closed his eyes and tried no to think about what lay at the bottom of the mine. It couldn't possibly know everything... Right?

...

The next morning went like any other, only, the apprentice hadn't woken up yet. The blacksmith and his granddaughter went about like they hadn't noticed he was still asleep, both deciding he needed to sleep after pulling an almost all-nighter.

Some hours later, close to closing time, the boy woke up. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He rubbed his eyes as he looked around, a little disoriented. He looked around his room as the light from the outside began to fade into the sunset, which he assumed to be the sunrise. He thought he slept in a little late, seeing as he used to be up before the sun. He didn't move at first, curious about what time it was. When he looked at his clock, seeing it was almost seven. He started to yawn, covering his mouth with his hand. After a moment, he froze and looked at the clock again. It was almost seven. At night. PM.

"Oh sh-!" he jumped up and quickly put his clothes on before bolting out the door. He didn't even hear his cousin pr his grandfather call his name, he heard nothing but the scolding he would get. Zipping his jacket up as he headed off into the afternoon, he turned into the mine and trekked down as fast as he could.

The mines were dark and damp as the apprentice climbed down the stairs he had built for himself. He had hidden them away in a dark cavern. The only sound he could hear was his own breathing as his thoughts raced against his heart.

_I can't believe I slept all day!,_ he scowled as he rushed down the stairs, taking them two at a time, _Why did no one wake me? Don't they realize what could happen?_

As he wet down further and further, down to a place no one would ever dare go, he stopped and looked around. There was no lights, so he stood in absolute darkness. H reached into his pocket and pulled out a matchbook. As he struck one of the matches, he looked around him, a look of sheer terror on his face.

Suddenly, he turned and looked behind him, "P-Please forgive me!" he yelled, "I-I over-slept!"

He looked ahead with angry and disgusted look, "You fool," he said, talking in a much deeper tone, "Don't you understand what it means to be down here everyday?"

He looked behind himself with his frightened look an backed against the wall, "I didn't mean it! You kept me so late yesterday-!"

"Excuses!" he yelled in his angry voice, "That's what you are! You are nothing but a cry baby who is only good at coming up with excuses!"

He fell to his knees then and screamed out in pain, "Please! I didn't mean it! I promise I'll be better!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs, dropping the match and grabbing his hair. He pulled on it and pleaded with the unseen force, begging as he started to cry out. Once the lit match went out, he quieted to just soft sobs, doubled over, his head on the ground. After moments like this, there was a shuffling sound in the dark. Then, light as he struck another match. He sat up slowly, an evil and devilish grin on his face as he cackled softly.

"You're promises are immaterial." he said darkly, his devilish grin ever present. He sat up straight, holding his arms out as he laughed harder, his laughter reflecting his evil grin, "Allow me to handle this! I should have never sent a fool to do the masters work!"

He looked scared for a moment, then, as he started to stand, slowly, "Please... no..." he said softly, "I can... do it.."

He shook his head and glared at nothing again, "You had your chance! Now... its my turn." His devilish grinned returned one final time as he picked up a pickaxe from the corner, no doubt used to dig that very hole. He stood and sneered over his shoulder, smirking as wide as he could, the pickaxe resting on his shoulder.

"Allow me to show them... true pain." He cackled again and the light went out as he ascended the stairs into the night of Waffle Island.


End file.
